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Friday, June 24, 2016

Stop Putting Comic Creators on Pedestals!

I’ve been watching
a disturbing trend among some comic fans. Where they put put comic book writer
Goeff Johns on a pedestal.

Yes, Goeff Johns
had a great run of issues on the Flash. But so did Bill Messener-Loebs. And so
did Mark Waid.

When fans put
creators on pedestals and deify them, it’s a bad thing. That means they’re not
connecting with the character, but worshipping the creator. And instead of
readers becoming fans of the character they become fans of a creator.

Goeff Johns is not
the end all to be all for comic writing. Yes, he had good runs on DC titles
such as Flash, JSA, and Green Lantern, but he’s made his fair share of mistakes
too like the FlashPoint event and a forgettable run on Marvel’s Avengers. And
he shouldn’t be the barometer other comic writers should be measured by.

Nor should his
version be considered the definitive version of any character. Yes, his stories
are entertaining. They’re compelling. But I do not consider his version of any
DC Character to be the ONLY one.

That’s why I was
irked when I saw the excessive focus on adapting Johns stories on CW’s The
Flash TV show. The adaptation of FlashPoint right after an entire season of Johns
Zoom is a slap in the face to all the creators who contributed to the development
of the character over the last 60 years. If this is a show that’s an adaptation
of The Flash, it should encompass all the creators who contributed to the
characters’ development not just Goeff Johns.

Superheroes have
many creative teams that contribute to their evolution. And their contributions
deserve to be regarded by fans as well. We’re supposed to be reading the comics
for the characters, not the creators.

When comic fans
deify comic creators like Johns, they put unrealistic expectations on them. And
then when they don’t deliver on them in an anticipated run they get upset like
many did with his New 52 run on Justice League.

When they shouldn’t
put them on pedestals in the first place.

Every writer has
good stories and bad stories. It’s part of the business. Readers enjoy the good
ones and they move past the bad ones. It’s nice readers want to be fans of a
particular writer. But their version of a character is not the only one.

I’m a big fan of
the David Micheline/JRJR/Bob Layton version of Iron Man. It’s considered by
many the best run of the character. But I also love the Len Kaminiski/Kevin
Hopgood version of Iron man too. Why? Because Kaminiski’s technopunk Iron man
stories put a fresh perspective on the character and Kevin Hopgood’s unique
armor designs like War Machine, the Neuromimetic telepresence armor and the
modular armor just POPPED off a page and came to life.

And while I’m a fan
of the Denny O’neill/Neal Adams Batman, I also like the Steve Grant/Norm
Breyfogle version of the character. There’s just something distinct and fun to
look at regarding Breyfogle’s Batman and Grant’s stories are just the right mix
of action, mystery and FUN to read.

I don’t put
creative teams on pedestals. In my eyes each creative team and each creator
contributes to the character in their own way. And the character is the main
reason why I’m reading the adventures of a character.

If I buy comics
it’s because I want to read the adventures of Batman, Superman, The Flash,
Captain America, Spider-Man The Hulk or Iron Man. And I want to buy those
comics because the stories are good regardless of whoever is writing or drawing
them.

And if I wrote
comics I’d want readers to enjoy the adventures of the characters not put me on
a pedestal. My goal is to create compelling stories that build an audience with
readers. When it comes to comics, the main attraction in my eyes should be the
characters, not the creator.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Shawn James and I'm a man with a lot on my mind. This blog is a place where I'll write essays, promote my self-published, books and display my art.
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